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obstinate - 6 dictionary results

ob⋅sti⋅nate

  [ob-stuh-nit]
Use obstinate in a Sentence
–adjective
1. firmly or stubbornly adhering to one's purpose, opinion, etc.; not yielding to argument, persuasion, or entreaty.
2. characterized by inflexible persistence or an unyielding attitude; inflexibly persisted in or carried out: obstinate advocacy of high tariffs.
3. not easily controlled or overcome: the obstinate growth of weeds.
4. not yielding readily to treatment, as a disease.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L obstinātus (ptp. of obstināre to set one's mind on, be determined), equiv. to ob- ob- + -stin-, comb. form of stan- (deriv. of stāre to stand ) + -ātus -ate 1

Related forms:
ob⋅sti⋅nate⋅ly, adverb
ob⋅sti⋅nate⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. mulish, obdurate, unyielding, unbending, intractable, perverse, inflexible, refractory, pertinacious. See stubborn.

Antonyms:
1. submissive, tractable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ob·sti·nate   (ŏb'stə-nĭt)   
adj.  
  1. Stubbornly adhering to an attitude, opinion, or course of action; obdurate.
  2. Difficult to manage, control, or subdue; refractory.
  3. Difficult to alleviate or cure: an obstinate headache.

[Middle English obstinat, from Latin obstinātus, past participle of obstināre, to persist; see stā- in Indo-European roots.]
ob'sti·nate·ly adv., ob'sti·nate·ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean tenaciously unwilling to yield. Obstinate implies unreasonable rigidity: "Mr. Quincy labored hard with the governor to obtain his assent, but he was obstinate" (Benjamin Franklin).
Stubborn pertains to innate, often perverse resoluteness or unyieldingness: "She was very stubborn when her mind was made up" (Samuel Butler).
One who is headstrong is stubbornly, often recklessly willful: The headstrong teenager ignored school policy.
Stiff-necked implies stubbornness combined with arrogance or aloofness: The stiff-necked customer irked the cashier.
Bullheaded suggests foolish or irrational obstinacy, and pigheaded, stupid obstinacy: Don't be bullheaded; see a doctor. "It's a pity pious folks are so apt to be pigheaded" (Harriet Beecher Stowe).
Mulish implies the obstinacy and intractability associated with a mule: "Obstinate is no word for it, for she is mulish" (Ouida).
Dogged emphasizes stubborn perseverance: dogged persistence; "two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder" (W.E.B. Du Bois).
Pertinacious stresses a tenacity of purpose, opinion, or course of action that is sometimes viewed as vexatious: The tax bill's vocal and pertinacious critics led to its defeat.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Obstinate

Ob"sti*nate\, a. [L. obstinatus, p. p. of obstinare to set about a thing with firmness, to persist in; ob (see Ob-) + a word from the root of stare to stand. See Stand, and cf.Destine.]

1. Pertinaciously adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course; persistent; not yielding to reason, arguments, or other means; stubborn; pertinacious; -- usually implying unreasonableness.

I have known great cures done by obstinate resolution of drinking no wine. --Sir W. Temple.

No ass so meek, no ass so obstinate. --Pope.

Of sense and outward things. --Wordsworth.

2. Not yielding; not easily subdued or removed; as, obstinate fever; obstinate obstructions.

Syn: Stubborn; inflexible; immovable; firm; pertinacious; persistent; headstrong; opinionated; unyielding; refractory; contumacious. See Stubborn. -- Ob"sti*nate*ly, adv. -- Ob"sti*nate*ness, n.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : obstinate
Spanish: terco, obstinado,
German: eigensinnig,
Japanese: 頑固な
More Translations »

obstinate 
c.1340, from L. obstinatus "resolute, inflexible, stubborn," pp. of obstinare "persist, stand stubbornly, set one's mind on," from ob "by" + stinare, related to stare "stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: ob·sti·nate
Pronunciation: 'äb-st&-n&t
Function: adjective
1 : adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course inspite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
2 : not easily subdued, remedied, or removed <obstinate fever>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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obstinate ob·sti·nate (ŏb'stə-nĭt)
adj.

  1. Stubbornly adhering to an attitude, an opinion, or a course of action.
  2. Difficult to alleviate or cure.
ob'sti·nate·ness n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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